Central catheter-associated bloodstream infection reduction with ethanol lock prophylaxis in pediatric intestinal failure: broadening quality improvement initiatives from hospital to home.

Importance: Children with intestinal failure are at high risk for developing central catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CCABSIs) owing to children's chronic dependence on central venous catheters for parenteral nutrition.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the addition of ethanol lock prophylaxis to a best-practice CCABSI prevention bundle on hospital and ambulatory CCABSI rates in children with intestinal failure.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Quality improvement and statistical process control analysis that took place at a tertiary care pediatric hospital and patient homes.

A Bayesian statistical analysis of mouse dermal tumor promotion assay data for evaluating cigarette smoke condensate.

The mouse dermal assay has long been used to assess the dermal tumorigenicity of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). This mouse skin model has been developed for use in carcinogenicity testing utilizing the SENCAR mouse as the standard strain. Though the model has limitations, it remains as the most relevant method available to study the dermal tumor promoting potential of mainstream cigarette smoke.

Environmental fate and effects of nicotine released during cigarette production.

A variety of test methods were used to study the gradation, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of nicotine. Studies included determination of the octanol-water partition coefficient, conversion to CO2 in soil and activated sludge, and evaluation of the effects on microbiological and algal inhibition as well as plant germination and root elongation. The partitioning of nicotine between octanol and water indicated that nicotine will not bioaccumulate regardless of the pH of the medium.

Worker exposure standard for phosphine gas.

The 1998 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) re-registration eligibility decision (RED) for phosphine fumigants has generated much interest in defining safe levels of exposure for workers and worker bystanders.

Nicotinic autoreceptor function in rat brain during maturation and aging: possible differential sensitivity to organophosphorus anticholinesterases.

Acetylcholine (ACh) release is modulated pre-synaptically by both muscarinic and nicotinic receptor-mediated processes. While muscarinic autoreceptors inhibit ACh release, nicotinic autoreceptors enhance ACh release and thus disruption of these processes could potentially affect cholinergic toxicity following exposure to anticholinesterases. Marked age-related differences in sensitivity to some organophosphorus (OP) anticholinesterases have been reported.